New charges filed against alleged killer of good Samaritan

Bond set for accused killer in case of N.C. good Samaritan shot dead

NEW YORK -- A North Carolina man accused of shooting and killing a good Samaritan who tried to help him during the blizzard on Jan. 22, has been charged with four additional counts of attempted murder, the Catawba County District Attorney's confirmed Tuesday.

Marvin Jacob Lee was arraigned Monday on one count of murder in the death of 26-year-old Jefferson Heavner, and initially held without bond. Later that day, prosecutors added on four new counts of attempted murder, and one count of discharging a weapon into a moving vehicle. Lee is now being held on $1 million bond tied to one of the attempted murder counts.

Police say Heavner was driving in Catawba County when he saw a car that had spun off the road, just after 5 p.m. on Jan. 22. Heavner joined a group of nearby residents who heard the car crash. They attempted to help the driver, later identified as the 27-year-old Lee, according to Catawba County Sheriff Coy Reid.

"When they got there, he just seemed to be intoxicated," Reid told 48 Hours' Crimesider on Tuesday. Witnesses said Lee was acting odd and belligerent, so the group called police, and Lee allegedly retaliated by shooting at them, killing Heavner.

"He shot at several of them, and actually fired into one of their Jeep," Reid said. "The man was trying to get away and he fired at his Jeep,"

A county SWAT team was ultimately needed to remove Lee from his car, according to police.

Reid said Lee offered no explanation for his alleged behavior to investigators. He added that detectives planned to file a warrant Tuesday seeking permission to perform toxicology tests on Lee.

f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.